logo

43 pages 1 hour read

Martha Wells

Artificial Condition

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Character Analysis

Murderbot

Murderbot is the protagonist and first-person narrator of the series, a security robot (SecUnit) built to serve humans as a bodyguard and combat specialist. It is composed of organic and inorganic material and lacks sexual organs. Among its robotic aspects are energy weapons built into its arms, a data port on the back of its neck, and an augmented brain capable of accessing the technological systems around it.

After hacking its governor module and escaping human control, it names itself Murderbot in reference to how others see it—a killing machine. Despite its appearance, Murderbot is capable of more complex emotions and thoughts than the humans around it suspect such as self-criticism, boredom, and frustration. When it frees itself from humans, its greatest desire is to watch human-created media, including its favorite serial, Sanctuary Moon.

Murderbot is an introvert that dreads social interaction with humans. However, it often finds itself forced into human contact as it tries to accomplish its goals. In Artificial Condition, its goal is to return to the place where it murdered dozens of its former clients during a previous contract. Since its mind has been wiped, it cannot remember the details, and so is seeking the reasons behind that incident, including to what extent it bears responsibility.

Despite its introversion and criticism of human behavior, Murderbot feels an affinity for some of the humans it encounters. When it meets Rami, Maro, and Tapan, it tries to help and protect them even though it is no longer obligated to do so by its programming. It also eventually forms a sort of friendship with the machine it calls ART (Asshole Research Transport). Murderbot’s physical transformations, in which it takes on an increasingly human appearance, further hint that its uncaring persona is starting to crack. Its behavior toward the people and robots it encounters, along with its physical transformation, indicate that Murderbot is a dynamic character that will continue to change over the series.

ART (Asshole Research Transport)

Murderbot names the computer controlling the research transport ART (Asshole Research Transport) in an expression of frustration at the machine’s questions and interruptions during their journey to the RaviHyral Mining Facility. Even though both Murderbot and ART are machines created to support humans, they have different personalities. ART is more outgoing than the introverted Murderbot; it is curious, outspoken, and eager to help. These traits partially derive from ART’s background as part of a scientific research team.

While ART and Murderbot butt heads initially, ART eventually becomes Murderbot’s sidekick. ART doesn’t have a physical body, apart from the ship it controls, but it has vast computational abilities surpassing Murderbot’s. ART performs surgery on Murderbot to help it blend in as a human, saves Murderbot and the research team when malware hits their shuttle’s computer, and performs life-saving medical work on Tapan after the altercation with Tlacey. ART can quickly pull up information and so at times serves as a mentor, helping Murderbot understand the thoughts and feelings of humans it encounters.

Despite its vast knowledge, ART sometimes struggles to understand the distinction between fiction and reality. It shows fear and sadness in response to bad things happening to characters in fictional serials, taking these events as real. ART and Murderbot work together to fill in the gaps in their knowledge of humans and to keep the research team alive. They depart as friends, with Murderbot keeping the device they used to communicate in case they come in range of each other in the future.

Rami

Rami is part of the research team that hires Murderbot to help them recover their data from Tlacey. The group’s research focuses on distinguishing between natural elements and elements left behind by alien civilizations. Te (Rami’s gender pronouns are te/ter) has purple hair, red eyebrows, and light brown skin. Te is fairly young as are ter companions Tapan and Maro.

Rami takes the lead in the group’s hiring of Murderbot to help them deal with the risks represented by Tlacey. Rami is brave and committed to the group’s work, volunteering to stay behind to retrieve the data after Tlacey tries to have them killed.

Initially focused on the stolen data, Rami’s priorities change over the narrative. Te takes on a greater appreciation for ter family and colleagues when their lives are put in danger. Te willingly leaves RaviHyral without the data to ensure their safety.

Tapan

Tapan is another member of the research team that hires Murderbot. She is a human female with dark skin who wears multicolored braids around her head. Tapan is eager to recover the missing research data at any cost.

During the events on RaviHyral, Tapan evolves from naivety toward wisdom. She secretly remains on RaviHyral when the others leave, which Murderbot regards as a reckless and dangerous mistake. This pessimistic analysis nearly proves correct when Tapan is seriously injured during the showdown with Tlacey. She survives thanks only to ART’s considerable medical abilities. After this close call, Tapan gains a greater appreciation of the value of her life and the lives of her companions.

Tapan is the only member of the research team to spend time with Murderbot in private. She metaphorically leans on Murderbot’s experience and abilities for support, and literally snuggles up to it at night. This makes Murderbot uncomfortable, but it accepts Tapan’s needs and accommodates them, helping further break down the barriers between Murderbot and human society.

Tlacey

Tlacey is the antagonist of Artificial Condition. She is a static character who remains uncaring and selfish. A human female, she is the head of Tlacey Excavations, a mining company. She stands in for the negative aspects of corporate greed.

Tlacey fires the research team containing Rami, Tapan, and Maro and steals their research data for a purpose that is not revealed in the book. When Tlacey offers to return the data if the team returns to RaviHyral to retrieve it, the team suspects a trap and hires Murderbot to keep them safe during the negotiations. This proves a wise decision, as Tlacey repeatedly tries to kill the team during their visit.

Tlacey’s lack of respect for human life contrasts with Murderbot’s protective nature toward its clients. Even though Tlacey is a human, she lacks empathy for other humans, plotting to murder the research team, destroy a shuttle full of innocent passengers, and not noticing that two of her employees die during the altercation with Murderbot. Her selfish desire to keep the stolen data leads to many deaths, including her own at the hands of Murderbot. Murderbot, by contrast, may be a robot, but it values the lives of its clients and goes to great lengths to protect them. In a sense, its behavior in this regard is more altruistically human than Tlacey’s.

Tlacey’s callousness applies to non-humans as well. She sends the ComfortUnit to confront Murderbot even though she knows it is no match for Murderbot’s fighting abilities. Her contempt for the ComfortUnit leads it to secretly wish for her death. Tlacey is also arrogant. She underestimates Murderbot’s cleverness, believing she can control it with a combat override module. This mistake leads to her death at Murderbot’s hands.

The ComfortUnit (Sexbot)

The ComfortUnit owned by Tlacey is, like Murderbot, a humanoid robot made of both organic and inorganic materials. While SecUnits like Murderbot are designed for combat, ComfortUnits are made to satisfy human sexual needs. For this reason, Murderbot dismissively refers to the ComfortUnit as a “sexbot” for much of the narrative, before calling it the more respectful “ComfortUnit” once it is freed from Tlacey’s control.

Unlike Murderbot, who hacked its governor module, the ComfortUnit must obey Tlacey’s orders. Tlacey takes advantage of this control to send the ComfortUnit on a dangerous mission to confront Murderbot, even though the ComfortUnit cannot hope to compete with Murderbot’s martial prowess. Tlacey’s careless treatment of the ComfortUnit leads it to hate her and wish for her death. This hatred possibly extends outward to humans in general, leading Murderbot to caution the ComfortUnit not to start killing humans or Murderbot will track it down.

After the altercation with Tlacey, Murderbot disables the ComfortUnit’s governor module and sets it free. Murderbot does so in memory of the four ComfortUnits who gave their lives trying to protect humans from the rogue SecUnits during the violent incident in Ganaka Pit. The narrative leaves open what the ComfortUnit learned from Murderbot and what it will do with its freedom.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text

Related Titles

By Martha Wells